Sharp rise in Covid cases as 44 test positive

Surat: Thursday witnessed a sharp spike in Covid-19 cases in Surat after the city recorded 44 new cases taking the total of positive cases to 1,424.
According to Surat municipal commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani, Limbayat zone continues to report highest numbers of cases daily. On Thursday, the zone reported 14 more cases followed by Udhana with nine cases. “I request private medical practitioners to give symptomatic treatment if they suspect any symptoms of Covid-19 and start early treatment of such patients,” said Pani.
A 70-year-old resident of Limbayat zone, Dawood Patel, succumbed to the virus taking the death toll from the infection to 65 in the city.
SMC officials said that 106 passengers through two domestic flights — one from Delhi and another from Hyderabad — arrived in Surat city while all the flyers have been told to self isolate compulsorily for 14 days.
Meanwhile, the civic body on Thursday surveyed 2,040 more salons and paan parlours in the city to maintain social distancing norms. “We have shut 138 paan parlours and 127 salons which were found to be violating the norms,” Pani said, adding that senior citizen must stay indoors unless very essential.
“I would urge senior citizen to not venture out from home and instead young members of their families should go out for necessary purchase. But if they need to go out of home, keep sanitizer with them to sanitize their hands whenever they touch any objects,” Pani said.
On Thursday, 25 patients were discharged in Surat which included seven from Covid Care Centre and 18 from the New Civil hospital. So far, 985 patients have been discharged in the city.